1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a game device and more specifically to a game device utilizing a hollow, transparent plastic ball that is struck by a mallet having soft, resilient striking surfaces and an elongated centrally disposed handle with the mallet being swung in a manner to strike the ball to drive it along a ground surface in a manner similar to croquet. The clear, transparent plastic ball is provided with a cubical block freely movable within the interior of the ball with each face of the block being provided with instructional indicia. After the ball has been struck by the mallet and ceases to roll, the upwardly facing face of the block provides instructions for the next playing sequence. The blocks may be constructed of cardboard or plastic material and may be various shapes including square, hexagonal, pentagonal or octagonal which enables many different types of games to be played in accordance with the selection of instructional indicia to be placed on the faces of the block.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various games have been devised in which a ball is struck by a bat or mallet in order to project the ball in a desired path. Balls have been provided with various indicia located externally or internally thereof and various types of mallets have been provided to strike the ball and roll it along a ground surface towards a target or series of targets, such as the well known game of croquet. The following U.S. patents relate to development in this field of endeavor.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,166,946 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,154 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,823 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,197 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,418
While the above patents disclose a unique mallet and various ball structures, none of them disclose the specific ball structure combined with the specific mallet structure of this invention.